Toilet article



March 29, 1938. CAPLAN r 2,112,518

TOILET ARTICLE Filed March 17, 1956 INVENTOR 2:60 Cc9a7arz ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 29, 1938 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a combination toilet article, more specifically a manicure instrument.

The invention has for one of its objects to.

provide a simple, inexpensive, durable and com- 5 pact manicure instrument which may be conveniently carried in the pocket or in a lady's purse.

Other objects of the invention will be obvious showing the manicure instrument fully extended for use as a nail file.

Fig,- 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

5 A comb is indicated at H), having a head II,

and teeth l2. The head H has a longitudinal recess, l3, suflicient in width to accommodate a flat comparatively wide manicure instrument l4,

comprising a pointed section I5 at one end and 30 a file section I6 along its shank. The recess 13 extends to one end of the comb head and at the opposite end the comb head may, if desired, be

/ provided with a substantial projection ll beyond the tooth section of the comb for a purpose 35 which will be later described. Preferably the recess l3 terminates short of the end of the pro jection but is of suflicient length to accommodate the manicure instrument so that the same may be completely sheathed by the head of the comb as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

The comb head is further provided with a slot l8, extending along one face of the comb head and communicating with the recess l3, so thatin cross section through the head of the comb a T- 45 slot appears. This slot terminates short of the recess I3 and is provided with three enlargements I9, 20, and 2|, providing stop walls for a member projecting from the manicure instrument II. In the present preferred embodiment of the inven- 50 tion, this projection is a clip 22 which isriveted at one end to the nail file as indicated at 23. The clip has a shank portion 24 of spring metal and at its free end carries a ball which under the normal spring tension of the spring shank 24 55 bears against the manicure instrument I4 where vice in position in the pocket and when functionthis relation is possible due to the enlargements I9, 20, and 2| in the slot l8.

When the manicure instrument is completely withdrawn into the head of the comb the ball 25 rests in the enlargement l9 and the rivet 23 on 5 the end of the clip has been pushed in between the upper and lower surfaces of the comb head formed by the recess l3. The depth of the recess at this point is designed to receive the end of the file and the clip end rivet under a slight wedging action tending to hold the manicure instrument in position irrespective of the engagement of the ball 25 with the walls of the slot enlargement I9.

The ball-headed clip is preferably of a size 1 to raise its center above the plane of the face of the comb when the side of the ball is bearing on one side of the manicure instrument. Thus the clip may be conveniently manipulated over the edge of a pocket to hold the combination deing as such a holding means the wedging action of the end of the file and the end of the clip into the recess provided at the end of the comb head serves to prevent relative movement between the comb and the manicure instrument. The projection I1 is of such length that when the clip is in engagement with the edge of a pocket the teeth 01' the comb are wholly within the pocket and hidden thereby, so that the article has the appearance of a pen or pencil. I When the article is out of clipped relation with the pocket, the ball springs into the slot enlargement i9, prevents relative longitudinal movement, and supplements the wedging action heretofore referred to. When it is desired to use the point of the manicure instrument with suitable reenforcement the ball of the clip is raised slightly against the spring tension of the shank 22 and the manicure instrument may be slid in 4 the slot l3 until theball25 locates in the slot enlargement 20 and the parts are then in the position shown in Fig. 3. When it isdesired to use the manicure instrument as a file, the ball is again lifted and moved until it finds a position in the slot enlargement 2| and the parts are then in the position shown in Fig. 4. If desired, the walls of the slots may be slightly tapered as indicated at 26 so that in making the return move ment of the manicure instrument to its sheathed position in the head of the comb, the ball 25 will yield and ride easily along the slot l8 under pressure exerted on the manicure instrument itself.

Preferably the entire comb is made of cellu- 5s which the shank of the clip extends, said slot having an enlargement to receive the ball head of the clip when the nail tile is in retracted position.

2. A toilet article comprising a holder, a nail flle slidably mounted in the said holder, and

.lose acetate inJected to a suitable mold so that spring means for wedgingly but releasably holdin: said flle in sheathed position within said holder.

3. A toilet article comprising a nail file, a holder having a wide recess in its head to receive the nail'flle, a clip fastened at one end of the nail file having a shank and a ball end, the holder 7 having a slot lengthwise thereof, communicating with said recess, through which the shank of the clip extends, said slot being enlarged periodically to receive the ball head of the clip, and said recess extending beyond the slot near one end of the holder and being of a depth to cause frictional engagement of the tile and the fastened end of the clip by the opposed faces of the holder at the slot.

; LEO CAPLAN. 

